Meals as Church Planting Movements In response to Peter’s Pentecost sermon, over 3,000 people were added to the church and immediately, we see the church begin to organize. Pay attention. Do they organize into buildings? Do they form doctrinal statements? Did they immediately raise money or start a campaign? Read the account in Acts: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. The model of Jesus to unite soil, garden, family, and meal continues. This model can survive any time, any place, and any circumstance. God’s wisdom flowed through the disciples and multiplied into a simple grass-roots movement. The meal amongst believers survived when accepted, and it grew under the torment of persecution. Beloved, we must deeply consider what the Lord’s Supper teaches us about gathering, true community, and a model for ministry. We live in a day in age where the church in America is declining despite fancy buildings, huge budgets, and all the glitz of technology. On the other hand, the church in other parts of the world is much more simple, hidden, and grassroots, and yet it is multiplying under severe persecution. The only difference … much of the world today knows what America doesn’t. They realize the simplicity of the home, the meal, the soil, and the garden. This is where God started his mission, and this is how the church will literally “plant” and continue to move forward in any time, any place, and under any circumstance. *For further reading in the Bible: Acts 2:42 – 2:47; Titus 2:1 – 2:10 Accompanying this study is over 300 hours of video footage from 150 of today’s top Christian thinkers on culture, creativity, innovation, and invention at www.makejesusculture.com and www.gardencityproject.com. We aim to help churches develop grass roots...

Meals as a Model for Ministry Theologians have noted in Luke’s Gospel that there is not a moment where Jesus is not going to, at a, or coming from a meal. The sinners who knew Jesus, met Him as a “friend of sinners” at meals, and Jesus’ enemies were always at odds over the fact that He kept eating with sinners. The famous historian and doctor Luke keeps alive the rhythm of meals and their symbol as blessing or curse. Jesus used meals as a visual display to demonstrate His desire to invite all men, women, and children to His table. However, through each individual’s acceptance or rejection of the eating-fellowship-invitation, we also see a remaining sign in the meal that there were those who were inside and those who chose to remain on the outside of God’s kingdom. The following diagram shows a bit of Luke’s outline and demonstrates that Jesus’ method of church planting, kingdom building, and his model for sovereign ministry, replication, maturing, and edification not only remains consistent with Genesis’ beginnings but only grows deeper in meaning in Jesus’ work: TEXT MEAL PARTICIPANTS SIGNIFICANCE TEACHING MOMENT 5:27–39 Banquet at Tax Collectors Evangelism “Jesus came to call Levi’s House Sinners sinners.” 7:36–50 Dinner at Pharisees, Guests Reconciliation “Your sins are Simon’s the & the Sinful Woman forgiven.” Pharisee 9:10–17 Break bread 5000 Males Mission/Service “You give them at Bethsaida something to eat.” 10:38–42 Hospitality at Disciples Discipleship “Mary chose what is Martha’s better.” 11:37–54 Noon meal Pharisees/Friends All Invited “Clean the inside not the outside.” 14:1–24 Sabbath at Pharisees & Friends All Invited “When you give a a Pharisees banquet, invite the House poor, crippled, lame and blind.” 19:1–10 Zacchaeus Tax Collectors Salvation for All “Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” 24:36–53 Lord’s Supper Disciples Missional “You are witnesses.” Community *For further reading in the Bible: Luke 5:27 – 5:29; Luke 19:10 – 19:17; Luke 10:38 – 10:42; Luke 14:1 – 14:24; Luke 22:7 – 22:38; Luke 24:36 – 24:53 Accompanying this study is over 300 hours of video footage from 150 of today’s top Christian thinkers on culture, creativity, innovation, and invention at www.makejesusculture.com and www.gardencityproject.com. We aim to help churches develop grass roots culture formation for their contexts. Go...

Meals as Church Planting Movements In response to Peter’s Pentecost sermon, over 3,000 people were added to the church and immediately, we see the church begin to organize. Pay attention. Do they organize into buildings? Do they form doctrinal statements? Did they immediately raise money or start a campaign? Read the account in Acts: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of...

Meals as a Model for Ministry Theologians have noted in Luke’s Gospel that there is not a moment where Jesus is not going to, at a, or coming from a meal. The sinners who knew Jesus, met Him as a “friend of sinners” at meals, and Jesus’ enemies were always at odds over the fact that He kept eating with sinners. The famous historian and doctor Luke keeps alive the rhythm of meals and their symbol as blessing or curse. Jesus used meals...

Blessing and Cursing In Luke 14:15–24 Jesus describes a banquet scene. In the parable, a man goes out and invites many guests to his feast, but they all decline the invitation, citing a variety of excuses, but the main reason being that they are too busy. When word of their declined RSVP reaches the man’s ears through his servant, he becomes angry. In response, he commissions his servant to go out and invite the poor, the crippled,...

Meals as Historical Turning Points Let’s give a short synopsis of how Scripture’s storyline and historical turning points are built around meals: God’s blessing began in the garden with a meal (Gen. 1:29). God gave Adam and Eve a choice to eat of blessing or curse, symbolized in the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The curse, fall of mankind, and Satan’s temptation happened over a meal (Gen. 2:16–17). The first...

This is an idea I used for communion a while ago, it would also work for a worship starter or sermon illustration… As we think about communion, the point is to remember. We need to remember what Jesus did for us on the Cross. It’s an amazing story and an amazing sacrifice. Without the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we have nothing. The cross must be central to our churches, our worship and our communion. However,...

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